The Sleigh Bay entrance to the Rideau Canal is a spectacular sequence of eight locks climbing 25.3 metres from the river to the plateau above. This watercolour of circa 1838 shows the entrance from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. Construction work on the canal began here in 1827. Alongside the locks can be seen two stone buildings - the Commissariat on the west side (here, to the right) and the Ordnance (or Royal Engineers) Building on the east side. The former survives today as the Bytown Museum. Barracks Hill, just to the west of the locks, is now the site of the Canadian Parliament Buildings, built starting in 1859. (Library and Archives Canada, C-011864)

Painted by a British officer of the 76th Regiment of Foot, this watercolour of the 1850s confirms that open fireplaces still heated some barracks, despite wood stoves being introduced in the 1840s. The man at centre wears a grey military greatcoat, while others wear the red regimental coat. At right can be seen several soldier's beds, each with storage above for a knapsack, clothing and accoutrements. (Library and Archives Canada, C-008404)

Reji Martin has used the tools of today to remember the battles of the past. In this collection of 'Virtual' oil pastels, the terrible beauty of people and places involved in war has been caught using a computer program.

This view of the interior of Fort Beauséjour shows some of the activities that took place there just before the Seven Years' War. In the foreground, men are moving supplies. In the centre, an officer talks with a missionary who accompanies a pair of Abenakis. A left, a detachment of French soldiers escorts an English deserter. Reconstruction by Lewis Parker. (Parks Canada)

This Norman (or Viking) axe man holds a Danish style battle axe. Vikings were also called ‘Norman’ — men of the north — by the Dark Ages French. A large group of Vikings occupied and settled on the north-western coast of France in what became Normandy. This is the region from which many of the French settlers to New France came in the 17th century. It is also where the Canadian Army landed on D-Day on 6 June 1944. Print after Viollet-Leduc from the Bayeux tapestry.

The U.S. Liberator B-24 bomber was assigned to 426 Squadron in 1945 for transport duty between England and India. These aircraft were later used for coastal surveillance. This June 1968 photograph shows an ex-Indian Air Force Liberator during its flight to Canada to join the collection of the Canada Aviation Museum (Canadian Department of National Defence, 68-1276)

A rare glimpse into life as it was in a Canadian infantry barracks room during a winter evening in about 1890. Some men are shown cleaning their kit, the floor or a Snider-Enfield infantry rifle, one is being shaved, another trims his moustache and one is reading. The barracks furniture features the British iron folding bed and barrack table with iron legs. The men’s uniforms and equipment are neatly hung or shelved and a stove, essential in a Canadian winter, is prominent. (Parks Canada)